


Deck the Halls

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: 12 Days of Ficsmas, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-25 00:25:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17110952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: The Pandorians and their partners decorate their houses for Christmas. Daine belongs to HellishSam, Willow belongs to willownorthbook, and Jay belongs to SpaceUnicornDot.





	Deck the Halls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HellishSam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellishSam/gifts), [willownorthbook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/willownorthbook/gifts), [SpaceUnicornDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceUnicornDot/gifts).



Christmas on Jorvik was significantly different to Christmas anywhere else in the world, and not just because of the recent lack of snow. No, a few places in the rest of the regular world didn't get snow at Christmas, either, due to being in summer or just because of the climate there. It wasn't even just the fact that sleighs driven by little gremlin things appeared around the island during the festive season, or that most of the island's buildings were inexplicably decorated overnight by the residents of Jorvik (or magic, as some people chose to believe).

The biggest difference between Jorvik and the rest of the world was the fact that magic was a very real thing here. And, recently, two Keepers of the Light had discovered that there were non-humans who resided on Jorvik. Well, that and the fact that there was a witch in their group now, but that was different. The Pandorians were the biggest change from regular Christmas to Jorvik Christmas.

Daine hadn't heard Ydris get up, but the bed was certainly empty when he awoke on the morning of December first. Before, Daine would have sighed and wondered where his boyfriend had gotten off to, if he'd even come to bed the night before. But now, Daine was pretty content that his fiance couldn't be far away. He was probably just making breakfast or something. Not that Daine could smell breakfast, he could just smell the lingering scent of Ydris on the sheets. Shrugging, Daine pulled the blankets around himself, getting warm and cosy and burying his nose in Ydris' pillow.

The next time Daine woke up, his stomach convinced him to get the hell up and put food in it.

"Fine," Daine grumbled to the ceiling, and reluctantly left the warmth of the bed. The rest of the house was warm, thanks to the purple fire that flickered in the fireplace, but the bed seemed to hold its own warmth. That and a few dozen stray feathers and scales and tufts of fur. They really needed to clean the thing.

Daine noticed the changes the instant he stepped out of his bedroom and saw tinsel and fairy lights strung everywhere between the walls and ceiling. He chuckled, heading to the living room where he'd put the tree last night before Ydris had gotten a little too excited at the sight of his fiance's strong muscles moving the tree. And sure enough, there was Ydris, standing before the tree with his upturned palms out in front of him glowing pale pink. A few ornaments, also wreathed in pink, floated up towards the tree, hanging themselves on branches. Daine watched from the doorway, a smirk on his lips, his arms folded over his chest.

"That's the lazy way of doing it," Daine spoke up once Ydris wasn't levitating the fragile baubles over the floor. Ydris turned to his fiance, a smile on his lips.

"If it was lazy, my phoenix, I would not be bothering to carefully direct the ornaments to branches," said Ydris. "I would simply have decorated the tree with a snap of my fingers."

"Yeah, alright, fine," said Daine. "You know normal people just decorate by hand, right? I mean, physically." Ydris put a hand over his heart, and Daine had a moment to reflect on the fact that his fiance would soon have a ring adorning one finger. On Christmas day, anyway. Because Daine might not like rings, but he had a feeling that his fiance wouldn't mind having an engagement ring around his finger. But he schooled his features to remain neutral but for a small smile at Ydris' dramatics.

"You wound me, Daine," said Ydris. "How many times must I tell you that I am anything but ordinary?" Daine rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," said Daine. "You're anything but ordinary, I get it." He walked over to the tree, reaching into the box of decorations and picking out a reindeer ornament to hang on the tree.

As soon as the ornament was hung, Ydris cast a spell, the magic making Daine's skin tingle. And before his eyes, the little reindeer, posed in an eternal jump, came to life, its legs and body moving as it ran in place and tossed its head from time to time. Daine stared at it, stunned, and looked questioningly at his fiance. Ydris only grinned.

"Well?" said Ydris. "I had to put my own little flair on it."

"It's not... scared or anything, is it?" Daine asked, watching the reindeer run.

"Not at all," said Ydris. "I assure you that the reindeer is perfectly fine. It is merely... animated."

"I believe you," said Daine. Willow might think that his fiance's illusions were malicious, but Daine trusted that his fiance never meant any harm. They might be a little... out there, but nobody got hurt. Aside from the golden horse thing, which Ydris had sworn to never do again. Except for when Daine asked him to.

Together, the two men decorated the rest of the tree, Daine using his hands while Ydris used his magic to levitate ornaments onto the tree and then animate them. Little bells rung, little snow globe ornaments snowed eternally, more reindeer ran, little angels played their trumpets and flapped their tiny wings, and some of the baubles ran with beautiful patterns or names in beautiful script.

And at last, only the star remained.

"You're taller than me, you do it," said Daine. As Ydris' hand glowed with magic, Daine shook his head. "With your hands, no cheating with magic this time."

"Fine," Ydris huffed. "May I at least levitate myself a little so that I can put the star atop the tree without risking a fall?"

"Fine," Daine allowed. He could have suggested that Ydris could summon his wings and use them, but that would have probably resulted in creating more mess.

"Perfect," said Ydris once the star was placed and his feet were once more on the ground. Now, the tree was bedecked with ornaments, tinsel, and fairy lights that needed no power source to glow thanks to a little magic. Most of them glowed pink and purple, yellow also being a highlight. Daine grinned at the sight, feeling warmth fill his chest as he leaned against his fiance.

"It's different to any tree I've ever had before, but I like it," said Daine. "It's pretty."

"There is just one thing missing," said Ydris. One more spell caused the star atop the tree to glow brightly, just like a real star. "Perfect."

"Yeah, it is," said Daine. Already, this Christmas was turning out to be far better than any he'd had before.

Across a stretch of water, in a cottage nestled in the woods of Mistfall, another Pandorian was decorating his house for Christmas, only he'd had the patience to wait for his girlfriend to wake up so that she could help him. Willow could have slept in, and Jay would have been happy to let her, but she wouldn't have let him hear the end of it if he'd decorated the house before her.

"Are you sure you have enough of these?" Willow asked, setting down another bell jar that depicted a snowy scene. This one depicted two deer, a large one and a smaller one.

"I wanted to get more, but the shop didn't have any," said Jay. Here, in the house, he let his runes glow, one peeking out from beneath the collar of his pyjama top.

"You bought out the entire shop of snow domes?" Willow asked, frowning at him.

"Oh no, I'd never do that, that'd be unfair to the others!" said Jay, a look of shock crossing his features that she'd even suggest such a thing. "I only bought one of each."

"Should've looked online," said Willow. Jay's eyes grew huge.

"Of course, why didn't I think of that!" said Jay. But, before he could turn to rush off and grab his phone to order way too many of those jars, Willow grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back to her.

"No," said Willow. "As pretty as it would be to have one of these on every surface, we need those surfaces for other things. Like eating."

"You're right," said Jay, pouting. "Oh well, I guess I'll make do with these." He touched the jar that Willow had just set down, a rune on the pack of his hand glowing bright pink as a similar colour suffused the jar for a moment. Then, snow began to fall from the roof of the jar, though it only piled up a little before disappearing again. But that was hardly the most amazing thing, as cool as the snow was. No, what really made Willow's face light up was the fact that the deer began to move slightly, the 'mother' deer pawing at the ground and looking at her fawn as it began to leap around in the snow, its tiny hooves kicking up snow. Willow cooed as she watched the scene, her eyes shining with tears of pure happiness as the fawn bounded around in happiness while the mother watched on, tilting her head as she watched the fawn. When the fawn bumped into its mother, Willow let out a little squeak and grinned as the mother stumbled but then nuzzled her fawn.

"It's like they're animated," said Willow as the scene replayed again.

"So you like it?" Jay asked, grinning despite feeling a little uncertain. Ever since that damnable witch, Katja (no offense to Leila, the actual witch), had put Willow through that race, his girlfriend had been a little touchy around illusions.

"It's the cutest thing I've ever seen," said Willow, embracing her boyfriend. She pulled away, her green eyes shining with more happiness than Jay had seen in a while. "What can you do with the rest of them?" Jay grinned and pulled Willow over to another of the snowy scenes, this one depicting a couple dancing in the snow. With a simple application of magic, snow began to fall on the couple, who began to move, twirling in circles in the snow and leading a simple waltz through the snow. At the conclusion of the waltz, they bowed towards the front of the dome before starting all over again.

In another dome, this one containing a house, a spell from Jay had the snow falling, the lights within the house glowing with warm yellow light, and some figures moving back and forth in front of the tiny windows occasionally. A little cat was even let out of the house, which had Willow grinning from ear to ear and almost crying from how cute it was.

"Do you want me to animate some of the ornaments on the tree as well?" Jay asked. "Because I can do that."

"Hmm... maybe just some patterns on the baubles," said Willow. "We don't want Gracie knocking down an ornament because it's moving. Then it might start running around the house." Jay laughed, imagining a tiny reindeer loose in the house while Gracie chased it down.

"Good idea," said Jay. He cast the spell easily, each bauble glowing with pink Pandorian light before the patterns on them began to move, swirls and diamonds and stripes and chequers. One was spangled with glitter, and, before Willow's eyes, the glitter swirled around the bauble, swirling into the shape of a running horse. Tears stung her eyes as she was reminded of her favourite movie, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Yet at the same time, the silvery glittery horse reminded her of her beloved Connemara mare Rebel.

"I love it," said Willow, a lump forming in her throat. "It's all so beautiful." Jay looked so happy, his grin brightening his entire face and even seeming to brighten the entire room.

"I'm glad!" said Jay. "I just hope the magic doesn't interfere with your scars or anything. I don't think it will, though."

"Well, I feel fine," said Willow, glancing at her scarred hand. The scar didn't seem to be glowing any brighter than it usually did when out in the wilderness of Mistfall. "I'll keep an eye on them, though."

"Good," said Jay, happiness replacing the momentary concern that had flashed over his features at his concern for his girlfriend. "You know I worry about you."

"Yes I do," said Willow with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and looked at the tree. The baubles were beautiful, but she couldn't seem to stop staring at the one with the glittery horse. It was just like the patterns that Jay could occasionally make on the ceiling, like a kaleidoscope for her to stare at until her eyelids were heavy enough to sleep.

Jorvik may not have snow like a lot of the rest of the world had for Christmas, but it had Pandorians. And Pandorians were capable of creating some truly magical Christmas displays.

Though, their partners silently agreed to not introduce them to the concept of Christmas light displays. That would be a contest that could not possibly end well, even if it would be very pretty.


End file.
